


Three Weeks

by Mishafied



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Everything is fluff and nothing hurts, Fluff, Gen, Ignis is weak for Noctis, Ignis totally doesn't want a dog except when he does, Noctis is a little shit, Pre-Canon, Unbeta'd, puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 03:04:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11118579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mishafied/pseuds/Mishafied
Summary: Five time Ignis was definitely not keeping the dog, and one time he might be.





	Three Weeks

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff. Unrepentant 'I wanted to see Ignis with a cute pupper' fluff.

**1.**

 

“No, Noct. Absolutely not.”

 

The only thing that resembled a kicked puppy more than Noctis was the actual puppy that the prince held in his arms. Noctis’ blue eyes went wide, only half resembling the mis-matched eyes of the canine he was holding; the tiny beast had one blue eye, and one brown, and a set of ears that were far too big for its head. One couldn’t even manage to stand upright, instead lopping half over.

 

And it was covered in only the Astrals knew what kind of grime and mud from the streets. It looked like it had been living under dumpsters and in sewage runoff.

 

Noctis’ shirt would have to be dry cleaned, for sure.

 

“You’re his last chance, Iggy! Gladio can’t have pets at his place, and neither can Prompto, and I can’t have them at mine-“

 

“And what makes you think I’m allowed to have one?”

 

“Uh, Dad said your lease allows one pet. And you don’t have any, so…”

 

Ignis’ eye twitched. If Regis weren’t the king, Ignis would go and tell him just what a traitor he was for divulging that information to Noctis. He’d been betrayed by his own king for the sake of a stray mutt.

 

“All the same, I have no time for a pet. And no experience caring for one, either. The answer is still no,” he said, turning back to the cutting board only to have Noctis step in closer, the wiggling creature still in his arms.

 

“It can’t be that hard, right? It just needs to go for walks and eat and stuff,” Noctis insisted. “You take care of me, and I’m a lot more trouble than that.”

 

Ignis snorted. “You said it, not me,” he said, and Noctis downright pouted.

 

That just wasn’t fair at all.

 

“Please, Iggy? Just…just until I find him a new owner. He was about to get hit with a mop for digging in some restaurant’s trash cans. I can’t just drop him back on the street,” Noctis said, his tone and his expression pleading, and Ignis sighed and turned to lean back on the counter, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

He didn’t want a dog. He’d never wanted a dog. They chewed things up, they drooled, they shed, they had to be housebroken, and judging by the size of this one’s paws, it wasn’t going to be insubstantial in size for much longer. It had absolutely massive paws and a set of ears to match, and it would no doubt grow into them.

 

But he made the mistake of looking at Noctis again, meeting those blue eyes, and- gods, it had been a long time since Noctis asked something of him so fervently. The young prince was rarely so passionate about anything other than sleeping and fishing.

 

And the pup appeared to be learning from him already, if its wide, pleading eyes were anything to go by.

 

It was a temporary measure, after all. Surely he could handle a few days if it would truly make Noctis happy. He’d been so stressed lately, anything that could put a smile on his face was worth a bit of effort.

 

“As soon as you find a new owner, it’s gone. I’m absolutely not keeping it permanently,” he finally said, and Noctis’ face lit up like the sun had just come out after an endless night.

 

“You’re the best, Ignis!”

 

“Only until I put broccoli in your stir fry, and then I am once again ‘Ifrit incarnate’.”

 

But Noctis wasn’t even listening anymore. He was already setting the matted mutt on the floor and saying something about having a bag of dog food in the car, and then he was gone, leaving Ignis alone with his uninvited guest.

 

The puppy looked up at Ignis with those two-toned eyes, tongue peeking out of its mouth, its tail sweeping back and forth like an unenthusiastic broom. “One paw on the furniture and I’ll turn you into minced meat for Gladio’s noodles,” Ignis threatened, giving the dog a firm look.

 

To which the dog replied by pissing on the floor.

 

It was going to be a very long few days.

 

**2.**

 

Three days later, and Dog- because Ignis absolutely refused to name it, lest it get confused about its situation being very temporary here- had actually learned that its business was to be done strictly outside. Ignis had expected more of a struggle, but it seemed the mutt was actually a fairly fast learner.

 

And it was a bit more tolerable after a bath in the sink with some dish soap substituting for shampoo to get all the grime and dirt off its fur. It turned out to be more of a brindle color, with long fur that shined a bit once the mats were combed out.

 

Noctis had at least bought some toys and a dog bed for it so Ignis wouldn’t be out the expense, which he appreciated, but he still was eager to get the tiny creature out of his apartment. He wasn’t a dog person. He didn’t want a dog. Not even a lost little puppy that seemed to rival Prompto when it came to sheer clumsiness.

 

But even if he wasn’t a dog person, Ignis was still appalled at the ingredient list on the bag of dog food Noctis had provided. The stuff was more wheat and artificial flavors than Ignis would feed to any living creature. He was rather irritated that the bag of absolute shit could be marketed as ‘food’ at all. He briefly thought about calling official attention to it, but then he realized how silly he was acting. It was a dog. It willingly ate out of dumpsters.

 

“So, have you named it yet?” Noctis asked as he sat at Ignis’ kitchen table, staring down at his calculus book as if it had personally offended him. It probably had. Dog sat at Noctis’ feet, trying to chew on his shoelaces only to get the toe of the prince’s boot nudging his muzzle away every time.

 

“No, because it’s not my dog,” Ignis said, his words stern as he set Noctis’ plate on the table, followed by his own before turning back to the stove. “Any luck finding a new owner?”

 

“Not yet,” Noctis said in a near mutter, watching with open confusion as Ignis filled a bowl with meat, vegetables, and potatoes- and then turned to set it on a mat on the floor next to the counter. The puppy came bowling over, nearly tripping over its comically large feet as it hastened to reach its dinner. “Wait…are you cooking for it? What happened to the food I gave you?”

 

Ignis scoffed. “That so-called ‘food’ had more artificial products in it than the cementing spray Prompto uses in his hair every day. Canines require a balanced diet of fifty percent vegetables, forty percent protein, and ten percent starch. He might as well have some decent meals whilst he’s here.”

 

Noctis stared for a moment, and then burst out laughing. “Holy crap, I can’t believe you’re cooking for a _dog_. You sure you’re not keeping him?”

 

Ignis sat down at the table, pointedly ignoring the choking sound from the floor as the puppy tried to inhale the entire bowl of food at once. “Absolutely certain, Highness. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold.”

 

He also ignored the amused, mischievous look on Noctis’ face. The prince could think what he wanted; the dog wasn’t staying.

 

**3.**

 

Two days later, and Ignis was out for his morning jog when his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID and nearly tripped over his own two feet when he saw that it was the king himself calling; he stopped and took a deep breath before answering the call.

 

“Your Majesty. This is…unexpected,” he said, tugging back as Dog tried to keep running down the sidewalk only to once again discover the end of his leash. Every time was like the first time; Dog would hit the end of the leash, and then look back at Ignis with a look of utter and complete betrayal.

 

“Don’t worry, Ignis, it’s nothing out of sorts,” the king replied, as calm and collected as ever. “I simply wanted to let you know that this morning’s meeting had to be moved up a half hour due to an ambassador’s need to leaving earlier than planned.”

 

Ignis pulled the phone away from his ear long enough to check the time, and he did some mental calculations. “I should still be able to make it, sir. I just need to get home and get ready, and I’ll be there as soon as I can to wake Noctis.”

 

“You’re not at home? It’s five in the morning.”

 

“I was out for a jog with-“ Ignis started, and he cut himself off, his jaw clicking shut. He really didn’t want the king to know about his…canine issue. Or if he already knew, Ignis didn’t want to complain.

 

“With who?” Regis asked, sounding amused, and Ignis sighed.

 

“With Noctis’ dog. It seems to…calm him if he burns off some energy before I leave,” he explained, trying not to mutter.

 

He could have sworn he heard Regis chuckle.

 

“Well, take your time. I won’t string you up on the gallows for getting my son here a few minutes late,” the king said. “I’ll be seeing you.”

 

“Thank you for the forewarning, sir,” Ignis said in reply before he hung up. He looked at Dog, who was standing at the end of his leash, tail wagging, eyes bright with unrestrained joy at being out in the morning air. Any feelings of betrayal about the existence of a leash seemed long forgotten.

 

Well. At least he was more enthusiastic about mornings than the prince.

 

**4.**

 

On days when Ignis had to get work done at Noctis’ apartment, he’d gotten into the habit of bringing Dog with him; he couldn’t leave the puppy at home all day alone, and Noctis’ apartment only had rules against pets living there, not against pets visiting.

 

Noctis stared as Ignis did the dishes, Dog laying by his feet, seemingly content to stay right where he was. “So, uh…that’s sort of amazing,” Noctis said, and Ignis shot him a confused look.

 

“What is?”

 

“You told him to lie down and stay and…he did.”

 

“Well, as long as he’s under my roof, he’s going to behave,” Ignis pointed out, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn stain on a plate. “So I taught him a few commands. If his next owners want to let him act like a behemoth, that’s on them. Speaking of that, have you found his new home yet?”

 

“Still working on it,” Noctis muttered, sounding disappointed. “You really don’t want to keep him?”

 

“I neither need nor want a pet, Noctis,” Ignis said in reply, though something tugged uncomfortably in his chest as he said it. He glanced down only for a moment, and Dog looked up at him adoringly, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

 

“Sure you don’t,” Noctis said, and Ignis could hear the smirk in his voice.

 

He resisted the urge to throw the plate in his hands at Noctis’ head. They lost enough cutlery to Noctis practicing with the Armiger.

 

 

**5.**

 

Ignis had just been through a completely awful day.

 

Noctis seemed to be determined to drive him completely mad. First he made a fuss about waking up to the point that they were twenty minutes late to their first engagement, which just so happened to be training with Gladio. The fact that they were late meant that Gladio went harder on Noctis than usual, which put the prince in a foul mood.

 

He’d refused to touch his lunch merely because it had a few carrots in it. Ignis sometimes felt more like an unappreciated wife than an advisor, telling the spoiled prince that he was eating what was cooked for him, or eating nothing at all.

 

To which he got a snide comment of ‘if it tasted good, I would eat it’.

 

And perhaps Ignis had overreacted. Noctis had been so stressed lately, and he was still a teenager; he was going to have his moments when he would lash out. Ignis was supposed to stay level headed, he was supposed to be above reacting out of frustration and anger.

 

Then again, Ignis was only one year past being a teenager himself, and the stress of keeping Noctis in line got to him sometimes. So he’d sort of told the prince that if he wanted dinner he could make it for himself, and he’d left Noctis to do his homework on his own.

 

It was unprofessional. Inexcusable. He’d probably hear about it tomorrow, maybe get a formal reprimand. He’d never lashed out like that before, but sometimes Noctis seemed to forget that he wasn’t the only one under stress.

 

Ignis stepped into his apartment, met by a puppy that barked once and pranced around like Ignis was his own personal messiah. Ignis’ foul mood didn’t seem to affect the usual joyous attitude that Dog always displayed, and when Ignis cooked dinner for the pup, he added a bit of extra meat to it.

 

He told himself it was simply because he’d thawed too much of the meat this week, and not because he appreciated feeling like _someone_ was actually glad to see him.

 

He found himself on the couch, laying back and reading a book- and it wasn’t long before Dog whined and jumped up to lay alongside him. He should have pushed the mutt off the couch, seeing as how he had a strict ‘no canines on the furniture’ rule, but then Dog set his muzzle on Ignis’ shoulder and heaved out a contented sigh.

 

Well. Letting him nap for a few minutes like this surely wouldn’t hurt anything.

 

“Don’t get used to this,” he muttered to the dog. “You’re not staying.”

 

Dog merely licked his lips and closed his eyes in reply, never one to take Ignis’ threats seriously.

 

When Noctis used his spare key to get into Ignis’ apartment later, meaning to apologize for his actions earlier, that was how he found them- Ignis lying on the couch asleep with a book open on his chest, one arm over the puppy who was napping with his chin on Ignis’ shoulder.

 

Noctis smiled and got the blanket off the back of the couch, carefully laying it across the two of them before leaving as quietly as he could; apologies could wait until morning.

 

**+1**

 

It was three weeks to the day when Ignis finally resigned to the fact that he’d fallen for Noctis’ scheme.

 

“You never did look for a new home for him, did you?” he asked, sipping his tea as he read the reports from the day, the puppy’s head lying on his lap. Noctis looked up from his phone and shifted uncomfortably.

 

“No, I did try, I did-“

 

“Noctis.”

 

“…okay, I didn’t,” Noctis admitted, at least having the sense to look sheepish about it. “You just…seem happier with him here? I mean, you cook for him every day, he goes jogging with you, he’s better behaved than half the Crownsguard-“

 

“That’s not a high bar to set.”

 

“It is for a puppy,” Noctis said, looking down at the canine, who was sleeping blissfully and unaware that his fate might be in the balance. “I’m sorry, Ignis, just…if you’re really mad about it, I can try to find him somewhere else. He just-“

 

“Sage.“

 

“Huh?”

 

Ignis set down his tea and turned his attention back to his report, his free hand settling down on the puppy’s head and stroking between his ears. “His name is Sage.”

 

There was only a brief moment before Noctis smiled, his shoulders sagging with relief. “Thanks, Iggy. I knew you’d come through for me.”

 

“I always do,” Ignis murmured, and they fell back into a comfortable silence.

 

Though…Ignis couldn’t help but wonder if in fact it was Noctis who came through for him, this time.

 

Noctis looked back up at Ignis, and he smirked deviously. “So, if I happen to come across any stray kittens-“

 

“ _No_.”


End file.
